UT notebook: 'Barnes ball' has changed

Updated 8:45 pm, Thursday, February 16, 2012

Texas coach Rick Barnes, left, talks with Sterling Gibbs during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas coach Rick Barnes, left, talks with Sterling Gibbs during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Photo: Eric Gay, Associated Press

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Texas head coach Rick Barnes, right, talks with Myck Kabongo during a time out in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Texas head coach Rick Barnes, right, talks with Myck Kabongo during a time out in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G.

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Texas Longhorns yells to his team during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Dean Smith Center on December 21, 2011 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

CHAPEL HILL, NC - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Texas Longhorns yells to his team during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Dean Smith Center on December 21, 2011 in Chapel Hill,

A cut out of Texas head coach Rick Barnes taunts a Texas free throw shooter during the first half of a NCAA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, in Reed Arena in College Station

A cut out of Texas head coach Rick Barnes taunts a Texas free throw shooter during the first half of a NCAA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, in Reed Arena in College Station

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle

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Texas coach Rick Barnes talks with Myck Kabongo (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Texas coach Rick Barnes talks with Myck Kabongo (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Photo: Gerry Broome, Associated Press

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Texas' Sterling Gibbs (13) talks with coach Rick Barnes during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas' Sterling Gibbs (13) talks with coach Rick Barnes during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Photo: Eric Gay

UT notebook: 'Barnes ball' has changed

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AUSTIN - Frank Martin wanted to pay a friend a compliment, and he came up with one he figured would play well with the locals. In praising Texas after his Kansas State team lost last Saturday, Martin declared the Longhorns are back to playing "Rick Barnes basketball."

It was a nice gesture. It also was completely wrong.

If anything, the Longhorns' recent surge has been decidedly un-Barnesian. And considering that UT hasn't made it past the first weekend of the postseason in four years, that might be a good thing.

So how is this team defying Barnes' recent trends?

1. It's peaking late: In each of the past three seasons, UT was ranked in the Top 10 before turning into a wretched mess by mid-February. In 2010, the Longhorns started 17-0 and finished 7-10. Last year, they won their first 13 league games and finished 5-5.

This season, with six freshmen in his nine-man rotation, Barnes has built his team to finish. His best work is his handling of point guard Myck Kabongo. Barnes was sharply critical of Kabongo in December and January, and clearing the bad air early appears to have worked. UT's won four games in a row, and Kabongo is playing his best basketball of the season.

2. It relies on offense: The Longhorns are deceivingly good at creating shots. According to Ken Pomeroy's highly regarded statistical rankings, UT ranks 16th nationally in offensive efficiency and just 35th in defense. The Longhorns haven't been that high on offense or that low on defense since 2008, which is also the last year they went to the Elite Eight.

3. It can make free throws: In the four seasons prior to this one, no team in the Big 12 was worse at the foul line than the Longhorns. They were atrocious, and it cost them games, most notably NCAA Tournament losses to Duke and Wake Forest. UT is shooting 72.9 percent from the line this season, its second-highest mark in 30 years, and that prowess was key in back-to-back victories over KSU and Oklahoma.

4. It's not led by an NBA sure thing: From LaMarcus Aldridge to Kevin Durant, every Barnes team since 2005 has been built around a first-round draft pick. This year, UT's best player is J'Covan Brown. Brown can score like crazy, though, and Kabongo is learning to control games even if pro scouts aren't wild about him. Clint Chapman and Alexis Wangmene might be the least imposing front line UT's had in years, but they've become one of the most reliable.

And if they're able to finish how the lottery picks couldn't? Then maybe "Rick Barnes basketball" will take on a whole new meaning.

Just like always under Mack Brown, the Longhorns will start their spring early. This time, though, they'll be a little less secretive about it.

The Longhorns, who went 8-5 last season, will open spring workouts next Thursday and finish with the orange-white game at Royal-Memorial Stadium on April 1. Unlike last year, when UT's rebuilt staff kept every practice under wraps, the Longhorns will open their afternoon workouts on March 2 and 3 to the public.

The orange-white game also is open and will kick off at 2 p.m.

Basketball

UT junior guard J'Covan Brown, the conference's leading scorer, has been named to the academic all-Big 12 men's basketball first team for the second consecutive season. To qualify as a first-teamer, a student must maintain a minimum 3.20 grade-point average while participating in 60 percent of his team's games.